Katelin Shannon went 6-for-6 from the line in the final three minutes, lifting the Lady Yotes over Fresno Pacific
CALDWELL, Idaho - Katelin Shannon hit six-straight free throws in the final three minutes to lift The College of Idaho to a 75-70 victory over Fresno Pacific to close Day 1 of the 12th Annual Best Western Caldwell Inn and Suites Lady Yote Classic inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
Eastern Oregon used a record-setting scoring performance to roll past Walla Walla, 108-42, in the early game.
The Lady Yotes (4-3) moved above the .500 mark for the first time this season with the victory over the NAIA Division I Sunbirds.
FPU (5-2) rallied from a nine-point second half deficit, as back-to-back three-pointers from Jenay Herring and Kayla Clement started a 10-0 run, with two Keri Stephanoff free throws giving the Sunbirds a 65-64 lead with 5:25 left. The C of I would respond, as Meghan Hughes canned a baseline jumper and after a defensive stop, Laura Geis grabbed an offensive board and converted the put-back to give the Yotes a 68-65 lead.
The Sunbirds would close within 71-70 on a Herring trey inside the final two minutes, but Shannon sealed the win at the line after FPU missed a pair of shots and had a turnover on their final three possessions.
The Yotes took advantage of early foul trouble by Herring and Stephanoff in the first half, building a 26-14 lead on a Hughes fast-break lay-up, but three-pointers by Clement and Sienna Gonzales cut the margin to 36-32 at the break. FPU opened the second half on an 8-2 run to grab a 40-38 edge, however, The C of I rattled off nine-straight points to push the margin back out to 47-40 – setting up the see-saw finish.
Geis led all scorers with 19 points and nine rebounds, one of four C of I players in double figures. Shannon and Hughes each scored 15, with Felicity Jones adding 13. Herring scored all 17 of her points in the second half for FPU, with Stephanoff scoring 10. The Sunbirds were plagued by 22 turnovers and were outscored 27-16 at the foul line.
Game 1 saw Eastern break an Activities Center scoring record – logging the most points ever by a women’s team since the building opened in 1991. Corban had the previous mark of 101 – scored in a win over The C of I on Jan. 19, 2007.
The Mountaineers (6-1)used a 17-0 run late in the first half to build a 59-23 lead at the break – as all 13 players in uniform scored for the No. 23 ranked team in the NAIA Division II. EOU forced 37 turnovers in the win, scoring 47 points off the Wolves’ (0-8) miscues.
Brooke Randall had 16 points in the win, with Chayla Jones adding 14 points and six rebounds off the bench. Dominique Johnson logged 13 points and six assists, with Kyle Miller notching 11 points. WWU was led by the 17 point effort from Brianna Moorer, hitting 7-of-9 shots from the field – including three three-pointers.
Day 2 of the tournament will feature Fresno Pacific and Eastern Oregon at 3:30 p.m., followed by the Lady Yotes and Walla Walla at 5:30 p.m.